Avoiding common errors
1. Avoiding common errors
We have just learned a set of best practices to deliver impactful presentations. In this video, we'll talk about common mistakes we should avoid.2. Recap
But first, let's recap. In order to deliver a compelling presentation, we first need to plan what we are going to present (following some guidelines). An important step is to prepare and practice our speech: the more we practice, the better we become. Lastly, we can deliver the presentation, provided we avoid some common mistakes.3. Length
A lot of presentations are ineffective because they are too long. The audience has an attention span that we should take into account, and if we go beyond 20 minutes, we are at risk of losing them. Moreover, it is important to keep some time for questions the audience may have. People that are interested in our project surely will have some.4. Purpose
A common mistake is to forget to state the purpose of the presentation in the introduction. This simple mistake could ruin the rest of the presentation, preventing the audience from understanding the importance of our findings and leaving them in the dark throughout the presentation, diminishing the impact of our story.5. Guide audience
As speakers, we should guide the audience, deliver a sequence of information that supports our story, and keep our audience's attention. To that aim, we should not wait until the end of the presentation to show all our findings together. Instead, we should include them throughout the presentation, providing a backbone to the message.6. Audience involvement
Another common mistake is to just give the presentation as a monologue, without engaging and involving the audience. Remember we're presenting to them, not at them.7. Audience involvement
First, we should introduce ourselves using a strong statement, saying who we are and why we are presenting.8. Audience involvement
Because our audience is not aware of our thought process, we should always state our key assumptions. This gesture shows empathy.9. Audience involvement
Another way to connect with the audience is to ask questions in the middle of the presentation. Ideally, we should know the answer and it can serve as a hook for our next slide.10. Audience involvement
Lastly, we can keep our audience engaged by always relating what we are showing to the main idea. In that way, they can keep track of our story easily.11. Body language
If what matters is the message, the speaker is at the center of the presentation.12. Body language
We can use that to our advantage and create emphasis using natural gestures and movements - for example, moving our hands or pointing at the slide, smiling or making a facial expression.13. Body language
Good body language conveys confidence and strengthens attention,14. Body language
so our audience will be more focused on our message. This is especially true for live presentations, a little less for online presentations.15. Voice tonality
Our voice is also a tool we should use as speakers. We should use different voice tonalities to emphasize our message.16. Voice tonality
For example, varying the speed of our voice make our talk more interesting. We can speak fast to denote a sense of urgency, excitement or emotion, or slow to highlight the importance of a finding, introduce new ideas, or hammer fundamental ones.17. Voice tonality
We should also speak loud enough so that the audience can hear us if we are giving an in-person presentation. In case of online presentations, we should check that our microphone is properly set so that our voice is clear.18. Voice tonality
Intonation also matters. It's difficult to give blanket advice, as it depends on the language, but basically we need to sound engaged. If we don't appear interested by what we present, we can't expect our audience to be.19. Let's practice!
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